Professor David Allen

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Research interests

The Laboratory of Muscle Cell Function analyses heart and skeletal muscle function both in health and disease. Our main approach has been to isolate single cells (ventricular muscle, skeletal muscle, pacemaker cells) and use fluorescent indicators to measure key intracellular ionic concentrations, for instance Ca2+, Na+ and pH together with indicators of function, such as force, shortening or electrical activity. Increasingly we use Western blotting, immunohistochemistry and expression systems to identify and localize proteins in the cells under study.

We also perform some whole animals studies, for instance running mice on treadmills and running wheels, to understand how exercise modifies muscle behaviour and how drugs modify disease processes.

Williams, I., Allen, D. (2007). The role of reactive oxygen species in the hearts of dystrophin-deficient mdx mice. American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulatory Physiology, 293(3), H1969-H1977. [More Information]

Williams, I., Allen, D. (2007). The role of reactive oxygen species in the hearts of dystrophin-deficient mdx mice. American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulatory Physiology, 293(3), H1969-H1977. [More Information]